


MELIORA (Better Things)

by sanctuary_for_all



Series: Better Things [1]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: "Let's Wing It!" Fic Exchange, But Not The One In Canon, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Flying, Getting Together, Lucifer Never Lost His Wings, partial AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-16 01:01:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11817924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: Lucifer keeps his wings when he escapes Hell that first time. They end up making things both simpler and more complicated.(Semi-AU that includes spoilers up to 2X09 and the first few minutes of 2X10).





	MELIORA (Better Things)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Antarctic_Echoes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antarctic_Echoes/gifts).



> I never meant to write this fic, but I got the below gifs in a fic exchange and it just sort of happened. Then I meant it to be about half as long as it was, and that didn't work out the way I wanted it to, either.
> 
> Though I suspect this isn't what Antarctic_Echoes meant to have happen, either, you should at least see how pretty [their](https://antarctic-echoes.tumblr.com/post/164028618104/lucifer-homemade-wing-gif-2-here-was-my-second) [gifs](https://antarctic-echoes.tumblr.com/post/164027764231/lucifer-homemade-wing-gif-1-were-all-looking) are.

**I. VOLATUS (Flight)**

Lucifer kept his wings when he escaped Hell.

Despite what Amenadiel tried to argue, it had nothing to do with keeping a connection to his divine nature or acknowledging his “responsibilities” in Hell.  If cutting his wings off would have truly set him free from his past, nothing could have stopped him. Even becoming as defenseless and fragile as a human might have been worth the price.

But nothing could erase the millennia he’d suffered through, give him a different Father, or stop Heaven’s most boring angel from harassing him on a regular basis. All this would do is take his wings, and he’d already lost enough to Heaven. He wasn’t about to hand another piece of himself over of his own free will.

Besides, there was always a chance it would piss Father off. He might actually be paying attention for once, annoyed enough that his least-favorite pawn had slipped off the chessboard quite so thoroughly. Lucifer cherished the thought of Father looking down and seeing his gleaming white wings, a constant reminder that his most disappointing child had escaped his punishment. That he refused to remain buried, no matter how much Father might wish it.

He would never again be Samael. He had no desire to be. But Lucifer deserved just as much of a chance to fly.

 

**II. CERTUM (Certain)**

As time passed, however, Lucifer found he mostly kept the wings tucked away. He’d thought he would enjoy flying again, after being denied the chance for so many millennia, but it had made him ache in a way he had no desire to think about. He told himself that his wing muscles were simply sore from disuse, and that he preferred fast cars anyway, and though both statements were technically true in certain lights he was careful not to discuss the matter with himself any further.

Still, keeping them entirely locked away felt too much like being in hell. So some nights, when the music and crowds of Lux felt choking instead of welcoming, he would fly up to a suitably high place and let his wings free. None of the humans on the ground seemed to notice, even when he was on the roof of Lux – in Los Angeles, even supernatural weirdness was hardly worth remarking on. Even Maze left him alone, though she always insisted on calling him “Batman” when he came back down. If he could have brought a piano up with him, it would be perfect.

The secrecy made things easier, in a way, after Amenadiel’s own wings started looking like someone had hacked at them with a chainsaw. Flashing his own, still-luxuriant wings inevitably sparked yet _another_ round of his brother’s endless complaints about the unfairness of it all, and mostly it was easier to simply not set him off.

Occasionally, they managed to have serious discussions on the matter. Since it was clearly not the depth of the fall that caused the damage – you could hardly get lower than Lucifer, and his wings remained as glorious as they ever were – their working theory was that self-doubt was the source of the problem. Other than a sense of fun and the ability to charm people, it was the one real difference between them.

No matter what happened, Lucifer always remained utterly sure of himself. Amenadiel described it as “the gift of being certain even in the absence of actual facts” – when Lucifer made a decision, he charged ahead. When he received new information, such as Dr. Linda helping him work through some of his issues about his mother, he charged ahead in a new direction. 

Even killing Uriel, wiping him from existence with Azrael’s Blade, didn’t cause Lucifer’s feathers to fall. He was certain he was a monster, certain that he finally deserved the hell he had been consigned to all those millennia before, and because there was no doubt in him his wings stayed far more beautiful than whatever was inside his heart.

 

**III. TELUM (Arrow)**

And then there was Chloe.

Lucifer told himself he was fascinated by her, which (once again) was technically the truth. There were times when it became something of a mantra, chanted over again in his mind every time Maze made a pointed comment or when he found himself staring at Chloe’s face a little too long. She fascinated him. When pressed, he would admit she was pleasant company.

That was all it was.

The fact that she somehow made him vulnerable to normal injury was a far more practical issue to distract his thoughts with. She didn’t seem to have any wing scars, and neither he, Maze nor Amenadiel felt a shred of divinity coming off her. A discreet and extremely cramped check of his wings in the police department bathroom confirmed that she had no effect on _his_ divinity – he could make his hand bleed when she was too close, but his wings still glowed. Neither Maze nor Amenadiel were more prone to injury in her presence, so it wasn’t even a general effect.

Lucifer’s best guess was that she was a trap from Father, designed to make him more likely to die and be forced back to Hell. After Maze had nearly killed Chloe over it, it wasn’t a theory he shared with anyone else. Still, it would have been entirely sensible for him to stay away from her, since he had a vested interest in staying on Earth as long as possible.

Of course, he’d never been terribly interested in being sensible.

When he later fell into the trap, Malcolm’s bullet sending him back to Hell, he didn’t blame Chloe for it. It had been his choice, one he would make again even knowing everything that came after. If it worked a second time, then so be it – he’d just find his way out of Hell again. If he needed to, he could use that vulnerability to get back into and then out of Hell himself – humans died so easily, but they could also come back. Instead of running scared, he would turn Father’s own trick against him.

He did wonder, sometimes, at his Father’s perceptiveness in fashioning a weapon like Chloe. Lucifer hadn’t realized the old man knew him that well.

 

**IV. SIMPLEX (Simple)**

Sometimes, he thought about showing her his wings.

Never the full package, of course – his Hell face was quite _literally_ punishment, and if he wanted to see Chloe scream and run away he was sure there were more entertaining ways to go about it. But the wings... they’d been quite impressive, once upon a time. Though he hardly showed them off anymore, they didn’t seem to have dulled in all the millennia they were hidden away.

But once upon a time, angels terrified humans as much or more than devils did. Dr. Linda had certainly had enough trouble processing them, and she’d technically _asked_ to see them. If he scared her off, he would no longer be allowed out on cases. And... well, he was certain Amenadiel would complain, to say nothing of his mother.

He never let himself think about the look on her face when she’d held the gun on him in Lux. When there had been fear in her eyes, because of him.

_It doesn’t matter what I believe._

_That’s all that matters, Detective._

It was just... easier not to show her. It kept things simple. That was all.

 

**V. DETEGO (Expose)**

Then Chloe saved his home, he asked her out on a date, and Dr. Linda dropped her little bombshell of insight into his life. Things, unfortunately, were no longer simple.

Still, he was absolutely certain of one thing. No matter what Dr. Linda had said, he wasn’t _afraid._

Yes, he was on the roof of the restaurant rather than inside it, lurking like an overly large pigeon while he stood up the one woman in existence who he didn’t want to disappoint. Chloe hadn’t left the restaurant yet, but she would any moment now. Anyone else would have left the restaurant hours ago, but she’d waited for him. There were three texts on his phone, and one call, all from Chloe’s number. Not one of them sounded angry. Just… sad.

At the thought, a feather detached itself from his wing as easily and quietly as if someone had merely tucked it in loose among the other feathers. Lucifer snatched at it as it tried to float away, suddenly angry at the traitorous feather. There wasn’t a _shred_ of doubt in his mind that he’d made the intelligent choice. He’d finally discovered the second part of Father’s plan, after all – let Lucifer get himself too emotionally invested, then have Chloe break him that way. There was no worse pain than being rejected by someone you lo— cared for a great deal, and he flatly refused to go through it again.

_Why did you recently decide this was your home?_

Not that he was there yet, of course. Nowhere near. He just… It was a good time to take a step back.

Which he could do, easily.

_I think you did come to Los Angeles looking for something, but I also think you’ve stopped. Because maybe you found it?_

That was all, no matter what Dr. Linda said.

It was barely a moment later that he saw her emerge from the restaurant, the defeat in her shoulders visible even from the roof. The sight changed nothing about the reality of the situation, and it _certainly_ didn’t make his chest tighten as if someone unpleasant was sitting on him.

But his damned treacherous feathers disagreed, with three more shedding themselves from his wings and catching themselves on a breeze so faint he couldn’t even _feel_ the bloody thing. He snatched at them, somehow missing all three, and he could almost imagine them laughing at him as they danced away from the tips of his fingers.

He leaned forward too far, catching himself before he did something unforgivably ridiculous (he’d never hear the end of it from Maze if he fell off a building). It was then that he caught sight of the woman standing in the side street next to the restaurant, looking just as familiar as Chloe. Her hand was lifted at her side, holding something in the air like she was waiting—

Before his conscious mind had time to finish the thought, Lucifer was off the roof and arrowing straight for his mother. He slammed her into the wall on the opposite side, ripping the detonator out of her hand. “How _dare_ you,” he growled, the fires of Hell rising up in his eyes as he crumpled the device into a useless lump.  “Did you seriously think you could _win a fight with me_ by _hurting her_?”

“That human is _blinding_ you!” his mother argued, half angry and half pleading. “I wasn’t trying to win a fight, I was trying to _set you free_!”

Rage filled him, cold and dark, and he leaned in closer. “Chloe is not to be _touched_. If I find you’ve harmed a single hair on her head, _ever_ , I’ll make the torture Maze put you through these last few millennia look like _happy hour._ You need to—”

“Lucifer?”

His heart stopped at the sound of Chloe’s voice, as confused and uncertain as he’d ever heard it. The anger drained out of him like someone had pulled a plug, and his mind immediately started spinning cover stories that were close enough to the truth to cover what he was doing here.

Then he saw his mother focus on something just over his shoulder, and Lucifer realized he’d never put his wings away.

“Tell her, Lucifer,” his mother said, pushing him away from her. Her voice was fierce.

“Charlotte?” Now there was a world of suspicion in Chloe’s voice.

“Hello, dear.” His mother’s voice dripped sarcasm. “Just a little family spat. My son over here thinks you’re more important than returning to heav—”

He pushed his mother back against the wall, one hand over her mouth to stop her speaking, but it was far too late. He heard the sound of Chloe’s heels come closer, and he closed his eyes. “Lucifer?” There was so much hesitation in the way she said his name. “What—“ Then he heard footsteps running from the opposite direction, slowing to a stop a few feet away.  Chloe helpfully identified their owner. “Amenadiel?”

There were a few beats of silence before Amenadiel responded. “Shit.”

There were moments when you had to either laugh or murder people. “Thank you for the oh-so-accurate summary of the situation, brother.” Lucifer opened his eyes, keeping a firm grip on his mother’s arm as he turned around to face Chloe and his brother. If he refused to think about anything but what he was going to say next, he might actually survive this. “Well, clearly we all need to have a long conversation,” he announced, careful not to look Chloe directly in the eyes. Still, he couldn’t avoid noticing the feathers in her hand as he focused on his brother. “What do you think, Amenadiel, shall we see how many people I can carry at once, or form a line and take turns?”

Amenadiel gave him an unreadable look. “Chloe and I will take my car,” he said finally. He turned to look at her. “Or hers, if that would make her more comfortable.”

Lucifer ruthlessly shoved back a stab of disappointment that he wouldn’t be able to take Chloe flying. “Not her car. Mum put a bomb in it somewhere.”

Both Chloe and Amenadiel whipped around to glare at the woman formerly known as Charlotte. “What?” She threw her hands up in the air. “It seemed like a good idea at the time!”

Amenadiel sighed. “Come on, Chloe. We’ll take my car.”

 

**VI. ADAGNITIO (Knowledge)**

After they pulled into traffic, Amenadiel glanced over at her. “So,” he said carefully. “I imagine you have... questions.”

You bet your _ass_ she had questions. “Are you going to lie to me again, like when you ‘explained’ Lucifer’s powers of persuasion?”

He made a noise she couldn’t interpret. “No real point, is there?”

No, there wasn’t. She looked down at the feathers she’d found in the parking lot, such a pure white that they seemed to glow faintly in the darkness. The first had brushed against her leg as it had fallen, and it was when she’d turned to pick them up that she’d seen the flash of white in the side-street. When she’d gotten close enough to see they were wings, when she’d realized that no set of fake wings could possibly move like that, she’d frozen. It wasn’t until she’d heard Lucifer’s voice, however, that her heart had stopped.

He’d told her, hadn’t he?  He had never lied to her, and he would never lie to her.

“Chloe?” Amenadiel asked, everything about the word utterly careful.

Yes, questions. “Why did Charlotte try to kill me?”

There was another stretch of silence from Amenadiel, then he let out a breath. “She wants us to go back to heaven with her. Lucifer said he wouldn’t, because this was his home.” He paused. “Mom must have decided you were the reason why.”

_You saved my home._

And then he’d left her sitting in that restaurant for _hours_.

“She was wrong,” Chloe said finally, looking over at him. “I don’t know why he won’t go, but she was wrong about it being me.” He glanced over at her again, looking like he wanted to say something, but she pushed ahead.  “Is she going to try to kill me again? Or Trixie?”

He answered much more quickly this time. “I... imagine Lucifer’s taken care of that. But between us and Mazikeen, I promise you and your daughter will be safe.”

Maze.... Chloe felt a brief moment of panic, like she’d forgotten to turn off the stove, when she remembered that her roommate was supposedly a demon. It faded almost immediately once the thought connected that she’d apparently been a demon the _entire time_ and there hadn’t been a problem. The complete lack of personal boundaries was a Maze thing, not a demon thing.

And Lucifer.... She guessed she’d been right, not to believe in the Devil. The idea that Lucifer was supposedly the source of all the evil in the world was better proof than anything that it was all a lie. 

Chloe let out a breath. “Thank you.”

After a moment, Amenadiel glanced over at her again. “You’re taking this remarkably well,” he said finally. “I expected more....”

“Freaking out?” Chloe finished, voice wry.

“Basically,” Amenadiel admitted. “I thought I could probably handle it better than Lucifer could.”

Chloe didn’t touch that, turning back to see the world speeding past her window. “It makes a lot of things make sense,” she said finally, thinking about all the “off” moments with Lucifer she’d avoided looking at too closely. “And I know Lucifer and Maze too well to be scared of them, no matter what they look like.”

An emotion she couldn’t quite translate flashed across his face. “You should tell him that,” Amenadiel said finally. “Maze, too. They’ll want to hear it.”

Chloe looked back down at the feathers, not saying anything at all.

 

**VII. VERITAS (Truth)**

When they first got to Lucifer’s loft, however, there wasn’t much of an opportunity for serious discussion. The place was in shambles, Charlotte was rubbing her throat, and Lucifer was putting all his energy into holding Maze back from going after the woman again. “Maze, we’ve discussed this,” he managed, struggling to keep his grip. “She’s not going to touch Chloe again, or even think about doing anything to Trixie.” 

“The fact that she even _thought_ about hurting my girl is enough to deserve punishment,” she threatened, baring her teeth at the other woman yanking herself away from Lucifer completely. Lucifer reached for her again, Charlotte picked up something heavy-looking off the ground, and Amenadiel hurried forward. It would only take a second for things to explode again, and Chloe had been a cop too long to be okay with that. “Maze!”

For an instant, everyone froze. Maze turned, completely forgetting Charlotte as she hurried over to Chloe’s side. “You’re okay, right?” The anger in her voice was nothing compared to the worry in her eyes. “Because if you’re not, you can tell me. Even a scratch, and I’ll gut Mom over there so fast she’ll be dead before she has the chance to stop screaming.”

Charlotte looked appalled. “I’m sure you’d—“

“Mum!” Lucifer snapped. “Not now!”

Maze turned to point a warning finger at the woman. “Dead,” she insisted. “All Chloe has to do is say the word.”

Chloe was appalled when her throat tightened, eyes suddenly stinging enough she had to blink hard to fight the tears back.  Maze turned back, eyes widening in horror, and she reached out toward Chloe only to flinch back at the last moment.

_I know Lucifer and Maze too well to be scared of them, no matter what they look like._

_You should tell him that. Maze too. They’ll want to hear it._

Not sure she could risk talking at the moment – if she started crying, or her voice cracked, she’d never forgive herself – she yanked Maze forward into a hug. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Maze stayed stiff for a moment, then her arms came up around Chloe for a quick, fierce squeeze before she stepped back. “I got the bomb off your car,” she said, trying and failing to make the words sound matter-of-fact. “Whichever of the idiot twins pisses me off more is getting it on their car once this is over.”

“Hey,” Amenadiel protested. “I had nothing to do—”

“Both of you idiots didn’t send her back to Hell the second she showed up,” Maze shot back. “This is _absolutely_ your fault.”

Charlotte stepped forward. “No, this is _her_ fault. If she wasn’t—“

Chloe’s whistle cut everyone off.  As they all turned to look at her, she swiped a hand across her eyes and took control of the situation. She turned to Lucifer. “First, I need a good reason for not arresting Charlotte right now.”

Charlotte snorted as Lucifer sighed. “She’s a goddess of creation who enjoys nothing more than chaos and mur— destruction. The three of us will keep her in check better than any human.”

“And how’s that working out for you?” Maze added snidely.

Lucifer glared at his mother. “I’d been slipping.”

“Second question,” Chloe continued, knowing she couldn’t let them slip back into squabbling again. “You and Amenadiel have no backgrounds, but Charlotte does. Has she been here this whole time?”

“Charlotte, yes. Mum, no. Charlotte died, and Mum sort of… took over the body.” He must have seen Chloe’s eyes widen, because he rushed on ahead. “No, no, these are actually ours,” he said, gesturing to himself and Amenadiel. “No borrowing needed.”

“If I was at full strength, of course, this ridiculous vessel couldn’t _even_ begin to contain me,” Charlotte cut in. “I’d burn you into cinders just by being in the same—“

“Mom!” Amenadiel said. “Not helping!”

The most surreal thing about all of this, Chloe realized, was how much it felt like every single other domestic squabble she’d ever been a part of. “If she _actually_ kills anyone, I’m going to have to arrest her anyway,” she told Lucifer. “And if you try to hide it, I’m going to have to arrest you, too. And I really, really don’t want to do that.”

“No murder,” Lucifer agreed, possibly a little too eagerly. “Done.”

Charlotte pouted. “As if you could—“

Lucifer turned to glare at her again, eyes flaring orange. “I said _done_.” Then he seemed to catch himself, attention snapping to Chloe’s face as if searching for something.

She stared back at him, completely confused. “What?”

He hesitated, then shook his head. “Nothing.”

Maze’s jaw tightened. “He showed his eyes in front of you,” she explained. “He’s waiting for you to freak out.”

It made something inside her snap. “Would it help you all if I panicked?” she asked, the frustration in her voice climbing with every word. “Because I was having a pretty good day until Lucifer stood me up and his mother tried to kill me, but far be it from me to leave you all feeling unsettled because this is _not as much of a surprise to me as it should be! I already knew you were weird!_ ” 

It was only as she finished that she realized she’d been shouting. She stopped, faintly embarrassed, to find everyone else staring at her. The look on everyone else’s faces was mostly surprise – Maze was maybe a little impressed – but Lucifer was… She couldn’t read the look on Lucifer’s face.

Between one blink and the next, the face she’d become so familiar with disappeared. In its place was a bumpy red one with glowing eyes, sort of like the one in “Legend” except without the big horns. Instead of the sneer the other guy always wore, however, Lucifer just looked sad.

Chloe wanted to hold him, the same way he’d held her. She wanted to tell him that he’d never scare her, no matter what he looked like, and that even though he was supposedly the Lord of Hell he still wasn’t a monster. That he made her happier than anyone but Trixie, and it would be so, so easy to fall stupidly in love with him.

But he wouldn’t want to hear it, no matter what Amenadiel had said. If he’d had a real reason to miss their dinner – such as tracking down Charlotte – he would have been ready with excuses. Instead, he was valiantly pretending it never happened, which must mean he wished it hadn’t. He’d realized she was reading more into it than he’d meant, and backed away.

She let out a breath. “Any flaming wheels or animal faces you’re holding out on me?”

His face flickered back to normal, the surprise in his eyes still visible. “No,” he said quietly, lips curving upward just a little in that soft little way they did when something good happened he hadn’t expected. “Dramatic license, I’m afraid.”

Chloe’s own lips started to curve upward, heart threatening to melt the same way it always did any time Lucifer let her see past his well-polished exterior. Yanking it ruthlessly back into place – she _refused_ to pine after anybody at this point in her life – she cleared her throat and let her gaze sweep over the whole group. “Now, I could not care less about whatever the four of you are planning to do in or with heaven, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone down here. I also have no interest in getting in the middle of a family fight.” She turned to Charlotte. “I’m not the reason Lucifer won’t go back to heaven. I don’t know how you got that impression, but it clearly isn’t true. He just likes it in Los Angeles.”

Charlotte sneered. “He doesn’t look at _Los Angeles_ the way he looks at you.”

Chloe’s chest caught, but she pushed that aside as well. “You’re misinterpreting it. Tell her, Lucifer.” When there was only silence, she turned to him. “Lucifer?”

 

**VIII. MISERICORDIA (Mercy)**

If they’d had this conversation yesterday, Lucifer would have known exactly how to answer.

Because if you didn’t _know_ the truth, you could say whatever you wanted and it wouldn’t be a lie. If you’d convinced yourself that the nonsense coming out of your mouth _was_ the truth, then so much the better. Yesterday, he could have told his mother exactly what Chloe wanted to hear, spinning the story well enough that even _he_ would have believed what he was saying. 

But when you knew the truth, stories didn’t work anymore. And, thanks to Dr. Linda’s monstrously terrible timing, Lucifer knew the exact reason he had no desire to leave Los Angeles.

Clearly, it wasn’t an answer Chloe wanted to hear.

She studied his face, brow furrowing. “You can tell her,” she prompted. “It won’t offend me. She’s had to see some of the women you’re with.”

His mother scoffed. “The only woman I’ve seen him with for longer than a night is _you_.”

Chloe’s expression tightened, clearly upset by the implication that Lucifer might have romantic feelings towards her. The sight made his chest hurt in a way he deliberately ignored. “We do work together, Mum.”

“See?” Chloe glared at his mother. “There’s clearly another reason.”

“What is it, then?” His mother gave him a piercing look. “You made it clear you would stay here even if your little club was torn down. The only people you spend any real time associating with are your family, the _demon_ , and your ridiculous little human.”

Lucifer leapt on the opening his mother gave him. “Maze,” he said hurriedly. “I like Maze. I couldn’t exactly take her to heaven with me now, could I?”

His mother made an incredulous noise. “The demon?! You’re staying here because of the _demon_?!”

“She’s loyal.” He lifted his chin, defensive now. He was sure Maze had come with him only out of some misguided sense of duty, but before he’d come to Earth it was more than he’d had from anyone for millennia. “And she’s entertaining company if you have the good sense not to annoy her.”

His mother threw her hands in the air, expression suggesting that she was barely resisting the urge to strangle him. Amenadiel had that closed-off look he always got during family fights, and Chloe was watching him like she knew she was missing something but hadn’t yet figured out what it was.

Maze’s look, on the other hand, suggested that she could see far more clearly than he wanted her to. “Lucifer,” she asked finally, voice clipped, “am I the reason you want to stay on Earth?”

He glared at her, furious that she was dragging him out like this. “What? In a hurry to kick me back upstairs so you can go off and have a merry time in Hell?”

“I can go back to Hell whenever I want,” she said evenly. “And if you actually _thought_ for five seconds, you’d know that. Answer my question.”

Lucifer’s jaw tightened, sure she’d phrased the question like she had for a reason. He’d lose her if he went to heaven, yes, but they both knew how eager she’d been to go back to Hell after Chloe had first entered their lives. Even the half-truth he’d offered the others wouldn’t work here, and she knew it as well as he did.

Bloody _hell_.

“Lucifer,” Chloe stepped forward, suddenly gentle. "I know it can be hard to describe all the reasons you care about a place. Just do the best you can, and everyone here will have to accept it."

Maze's eyes narrowed. "The answer's not that complicated. He's just too much of a chicken shit to say it."

Lucifer's chances for getting out of this with the slightest shred of dignity were dying in front of him. His only choices now were to spill his guts in front of everyone, ensuring the maximum amount of soul-crushing embarrassment, or tell the truth directly to Chloe and get the rejection over with. If he explained the situation, and made it clear it was already what he expected, it's possible she'd even be kind about it.

He _loathed_ the thought of being at someone else's mercy. But he'd been here before with Chloe, and it was the closest thing to genuine mercy he'd ever found.

"Detective, I need to talk to you." Lucifer valiantly ignored the way his heart was pounding. "Alone."

"I'm not leaving so you can have a heart-to-heart with your little _human_ ," his mother snapped. "The _problem_ here is that you spend far too much time with her as it is."

"You're right – you're not leaving. We are." He turned to Chloe, holding a hand out. "Shall we?"

She took another step towards him, hand half-lifting. Then she hesitated. "Lucifer, I don't know if this is such a good idea."

His chest tightened with panic and something far more dangerous. "Please, Detective."

Slowly, carefully, Chloe laid her hand in his. Reminding himself it didn't mean anything more than that she was a good person, he tightened his hand around hers and pulled her toward the balcony.

When they moved towards the wall, Chloe looked back over her shoulder. "You should shut the door if you don't want anyone else overhearing," she said. "I could—"

The rest of the sentence cut off in a yelp as he scooped her up into his arms. She clung to him, and Lucifer's lips curved despite the pain he knew was waiting for him. "Oh, we're not having the conversation on the balcony," he said lightly, grinning at her.

Her eyes went wide, her grip on him tightening. "Lucifer...."

Letting himself pretend for a moment that there was nothing but this, he unfurled his wings and sent them both skyward.

 

**IX: APOCALYPSIS (Revelation)**

She was _flying_.

Chloe knew she should be panicking about this, worried that Lucifer would drop her or the fact that they were probably defying at least a few laws of physics. But she was in Lucifer’s arms, flying over the city like Lois Lane being carried by Superman, and there just wasn’t a lot of room in her head at the moment for the annoying grownup voice.

So she just let herself enjoy it, staring at the lights of the city sprawled out beneath them. “Wow,” she whispered.

“If you’re still speaking to me when this is all over,” Lucifer said suddenly, the words trying for lightness but mostly just sounding fragile, “I’ll take you on the full tour of the city.”

The thought that he’d done this before made her stomach knot. “You say that to all the girls?”

It was a moment before he spoke again. “Never like this.”

He landed on the roof of the Capitol Records building, setting her down before turning away and looking back out over the city. His wings were still out, glowing a little in the darkness in a way she’d finally realized had nothing at all to do with color, and she nearly reached out to touch them before she yanked her hand back and shoved it into her pocket. You didn’t bring someone to a place this private to talk about something _good_.

Chest tight, she braced herself for whatever he had to say. Maybe he was going to tell her he’d changed his mind and wanted to go back to heaven, or that he needed to deal with family business and couldn’t do it while he was still helping her on cases. Maybe it wasn’t going to be about angels or demons at all, and he was just going to explain that he knew how attached she’d gotten and couldn’t let it—

The sudden sound of Lucifer’s voice jerked her out of her thoughts. “Father made you as a weapon against me.”

Chloe blinked, sure she couldn’t have heard that correctly.  “What?”

“You’re the reason I can get shot, or stabbed, or bruised by someone who isn’t an angel or a demon. The reason Malcolm killed me temporarily. Whenever I’m near you, I’m vulnerable to mortal weapons. I assume Father decided he needed a way to drop me back into Hell whether I wanted to go or not, and he used you to do it.”

Chloe went ice cold at the thought. At the time she’d thought it was just part of whatever delusion he’d been under, or the playacting he was doing, but Lucifer had been so _shocked_ that the bullet she’d put into his leg had hurt. And really, it didn’t make any sense at all that angels would be vulnerable to mortal weapons, and she had pretty irrefutable proof that he was just as angelic as he’d always claimed to be.

Which meant she _hurt_ him, just by being _near_ him. No wonder he stood her up. She was amazed he was willing to speak to her at all.

“I’m sorry.” She backed away, hunting for the door off the roof and into the building. She had no idea what story she’d tell, even if she figured out a way to contact security, but she couldn’t be here anymore. “I don’t… you don’t have to explain anymore.” Her stomach was a hard, heavy knot, and she was pretty sure she was going to throw up any second now. “I’ll stay away from you, and if you want I… I can text you about where I’ll be so you can be somewhere else. I’ll still have to do my job, but—”

“No!” The genuine alarm in Lucifer’s voice made her turn back to look at him. The same emotion was on his face as he hurried toward her, the sight surprising enough that she stopped moving. He grabbed her arm, and when he was sure she wasn’t going anywhere his hands moved to her shoulders. “I didn’t tell you so you’d try to _leave_ me!”

“You just told me I’m the reason Malcolm killed you!” Something desperate bubbled up in her throat. “And if I stay around you, someone else could kill you pretty much whenever! I have no idea why you haven’t tried to leave _me_!”

“Because it doesn’t _matter_.” He ducked down enough that he could look her square in the eye, expression firm. “If someone else kills me and sends me back to Hell, I’ll just find another way to escape again. If anyone kills you, I’ll storm the gates of heaven and drag you back myself. Father won’t _let_ you die, simply to avoid the mess I’ll make if you do.”

Chloe had stopped breathing at some point, heart pounding so hard she could feel it in her ears. “But….” The word was barely a breath, her mind spinning so fast she had no idea how she was going to finish the sentence.

Lucifer, however, seemed to have a guess. “Dinner. Yes.” He let go of her, scrubbing his hands across his face. “I’m afraid Father seems to be taking advantage of a backup plan. Dr. Linda recently pointed out to me, oh so _helpfully_ , that the reason I’m so determined to stay in Los Angeles had nothing to do with Lux or parties and everything to do with a certain blond detective who makes me….” The sentence trailed off unfinished, and he gave his head a small angry shake before refocusing on her. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that she was _right_ , and if I had shown up at the restaurant I’m certain I would have said something ridiculous and highly incriminating.” He shifted, desperately uncomfortable. “I used to find your repulsion at the idea of us getting together to be entertaining. I… wouldn’t now.” Then his jaw tightened. “I suspect Father was looking forward to the possibility.”

Chloe stared at him, desperately trying to follow all of that. “You don’t care that being near me might send you back to _Hell_ , but you’re sure I’m going to break your heart because of something your Dad did?”

“Not _because_ of my Father,” Lucifer clarified. “I’m sure the rejection is inevitable for anyone who knows me as well as you do. He would just….” He waved a hand vaguely. “Take advantage of it.”

There was something darkly funny about the fact that she was having more trouble wrapping her head around Lucifer’s thought processes than she did the fact that he had _wings_. “And _why_ are you so sure that I’ll break your heart?”

“I don’t know if I’d say—” He stopped, giving up on whatever defense he was about to make, then let out a breath as he turned to look back over the city. “The last time I had a home, they threw me out,” he said finally, voice so quiet she could barely hear it. “At least you’ll be gentler about it.”

Chloe’s throat tightened, her chest so full she was amazed there was room for any oxygen. Every part of this was insane, from the idea that God made her as some kind of weapon to Lucifer’s chain of logic. But he thought she was worth going to Hell for, and didn’t seem to consider anything remarkable about the thought. He’d said he’d storm heaven to get her back, and Lucifer Morningstar never lied.

She’d take on angels for him. She’d take on _God_ for him, just as soon as she figured out how. And if the big guy upstairs thought he could use her as one more thing to hurt Lucifer, then she was going to show him that it would take more than divine power to tell Chloe Decker what to do.

And if she was Lucifer’s home, there was no way in Hell she was going to throw him out.

Crossing the distance between them, she grabbed the front of Lucifer’s shirt, pulled him down, and kissed the breath out of him.

 

**X. FIDEM (Faith)**

For a few precious seconds, there was nothing but Chloe dragging him closer and her lips against his. Some miracles, it turns out, can bring even fallen angels to their knees.

When she pulled away again, however, it hit him that this was the perfect beginning to a torture in Hell. The worst thing you can do to a person is give someone hope and then take it away again. "Detective...." he breathed, more terrified than he could remember being in a very long time. “What....”

"I'm not going to break your heart, Lucifer." She sounded both shaky and brave, and she still hadn't let go of his shirt. "And I'm really hoping you're not going to break mine."

There was so much pressure in his chest he wondered if he might be having a heart attack. "I don't... this doesn't make any sense." His throat felt like it had been scraped raw. "You can't... you can't feel that way about me."

Her eyes narrowed. "You returned to _Hell_ for me, the place that you did everything in your power to leave, and I'm not allowed to love you—" She caught herself, eyes widening. Then her jaw firmed. "—love you back?"

The words hit like the punch of an angel, leaving him trembling. He stepped back out of her grip, desperate. "Because I'm the _Devil_."

"So?" she challenged. "The real evil in the world is caused by _people_ , not you. The fact that your Dad forced you to be in charge of Hell for awhile doesn't change that."

He blinked hard against the tears that welled up. "What?"

Her expression gentled. "I told you, Lucifer. I know you. Nothing I found out today changes that." Chloe moved towards him, stopping when another feather came loose from his wing. She picked it up, suddenly wary. "So does this mean that me loving you is bad for you, too?"

The sudden fear he could hear underneath the words, so similar to the fear wrapped around his own lungs, finally got his attention. The fear of hope being snatched away sounded like nothing else.

"No," he rasped, swallowing. "It means I'm finally starting to believe you."

She caught his gaze, eyes lighting like a candle flame. "You should," she said softly. "I don't care what God wants. I pick you."

Something in his chest cracked open, letting light into parts of him that had been in darkness for millennia. Making a broken sound, he crossed the few steps between them and dragged her into his arms. "Chloe." He pressed his face against her hair. “ _Chloe_.”

"It's okay." Her voice was wet, and she held on as tightly as he was. "I've got you."

Lucifer swallowed, wondering if this was what heaven felt like for everyone else. "You do," he whispered. "For what it's worth, you most definitely do."

He felt her smile against his neck. "It's worth a lot."

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my [original fiction,](https://jennifferwardell.wixsite.com/mybooks) my [blog,](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)!


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